Besides eliminating the commute, technology allows both the student and tutor to screen-share problems, annotate on the screen together and share documents real time via Google Drive.

Anything you can do in person can be done online.

As a parent if you’re concerned with “safety” issues, just request the recording. At Growing Forward Academy, we use Zoom which provides the option of recording sessions.

If you’re a helicopter parent (don’t worry, we won’t tell) this is better than trying to hide in the background or eavesdrop on an in-home session. Instead of your child being upset that you’re being nosey, you can actually view the recorded online session in private!

What I learned working for an online test prep company was this: strong interpersonal skills translate well online. Simply put, if you’re good at maintaining conversations in person, you’ll be good at it virtually (the same is true for the opposite). That’s why we emphasize personality so much during the interview process.

Communication mediums are different for teenagers. Most prefer to text, message or send video versus talk. Empathy is lost in translation, but one of the strongest arguments for online tutoring is that the recipient (student) prefers it.

Parents, change is hard, but you have to think about what’s most effective. What we’ve done to alleviate the skepticism is offer a free 30 minute video meet and greet for the student, parent and tutor before committing to purchasing hours.

To us success depends on the chemistry between the student and tutor, which is why we take the extra step. In most cases the only reason why tutoring fails is when the student and tutor don’t click. Ensuring the “fit” before committing to invest is the best practice moving forward.